Ford Hires Max Wolff to Be Design Director for Lincoln

Ford has appointed Max Wolff to be the new director of design for the Lincoln brand.

Mr. Wolff, 38, comes from Cadillac, where he has been in charge of exteriors. At Cadillac, he has been working on the upcoming larger model, shown as the XTS Platinum concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit last January. At recent auto shows, he has been involved in presentations of the CTS coupe.

Born in Australia, Mr. Wolff is a graduate of Monash University in Melbourne — a break from the usual backgrounds of car designers educated at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., the College for Creative Studies in Detroit or the Royal College of Art in England. He begins work in January.

While at General Motors, Mr. Wolff worked with Holden in Australia and Daewoo in South Korea. He may be best known among his design colleagues for his Holden SSX concept of 2003, which inspired the Pontiac G8.

Although its recent designs had shown a consistency that was lacking a few years ago, Lincoln has not had its own dedicated design chief. Under Peter Horbury, who has returned to Volvo, and Moray Callum, who will be Mr. Wolff’s immediate boss, Lincoln design was part of the larger Ford and Mercury department.

Before he left in 2009, Mr. Horbury and his team gave the marque a trademark grille based on the look of the 1930’s Lincoln Continental. But the identity is more graphic than sculptural. Most Lincolns of recent years share the underpinnings of Ford models. Cadillac, by contrast, over the last decade or so has successfully carved out an image based on its own models and its evolving design language, called art and science.

In 2000 and 2001, Lincoln rolled out several concept vehicles, directed by then design chief Gerry McGovern, who is now at Land Rover. Inspired by the 1961 Lincoln Continental, the MK9 coupe of 2001 and the Mark X concept car of 2004 enunciated a slab-sided look that was never used in production models.

In announcing Mr. Wolff’s appointment, Lincoln said that it was committed to “refined modern design” and that the marque planned seven new vehicles over the next four years, including a smaller model.

“Max’s drive, talent and knowledge of automotive design within the premium segment of the market make him a great addition to the global design team,” said J Mays, chief creative officer and Ford Motor Company’s group vice president of design. “He is a recognized design leader and has a successful track record in the development of production and concept vehicles, including the Holden SSX show car.”

As a commenter correctly noted, a previous version of this story confused the MKX, an S.U.V. crossover, with the Mark X, a concept car. The text has been corrected to reflect this.

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